First Nations peoples have rich cultures, histories and ways of knowing that enhance the world in so many ways. Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors, creators and communities are therefore due the respect of correct attribution when their works are utilised by others.
Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia identify according to their own specific nation, country, language group. They may also include other descents e.g., South Sea Islander and/or their traditional language name. When referencing an Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander author or creator:
When referring to a senior member of an Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community, it may be appropriate to use the terms Uncle or Aunty to show respect and to indicate Elder status. Always check with the person to see how he or she would like to be referred to. He or she may only want their title used within their community.
Follow their Title with Nation/Country and/or Language group information.
In-Text Citations
| Formats |
Uncle/Aunty Preferred Name, Nation/Country/Language group, explained the significance of songlines to the local community (Author & Author, YYYY). Songlines are significant for the local community (Author & Author, YYYY). |
The standard pattern for acknowledging First Nations status is following the author's name with the author's Nation, Country and/or Language group.
Books
| Format |
Author, A. A. (Nation/Country/Language group), & Author, B. B. (Nation/Country/Language group). (Date). Title in sentence case: Subtitle (edition, if not the first). Publisher. URL or DOI (if electronic) |
| Example |
Janke, T. (Meriam & Wuthathi). (2021). True tracks: Respecting Indigenous knowledge and culture. NewSouth Publishing. |
Chapter from an Edited Book
| Format |
Author, A. A. (Nation/Country/Language group). (Date). Title of chapter: Subtitle. In A. Editor (Nation/Country/Language group) & B. Editor (Nation/Country/Language Group) (Eds.), Title of book: Subtitle (edition*, pages of chapter). Publisher. DOI or URL (if electronic) *if not the first edition - do not include edition information for first editions. |
| Example |
McAvoy, T. (Wirdi). (2016). Building our house. In M. Davis (Cobble Cobble) & M.J. Langton (Yiman & Bidjara) (Eds.), It’s our country: Indigenous arguments for meaningful constitutional recognition and reform (pp. 42-47). Melbourne University Press. |
Books Where Creators Play Specific Roles
| Format |
Creator, C. C. (Nation/Country/Language group) (Role). (Date). Title of book: Subtitle. Publisher. DOI or URL (if electronic) |
| Example |
Tutt, C. (Kamilaroi, Author), & Hill, A. (Wiradjuri, Illustrator). (2021). The first scientists. Hardie Grant Publishing. |
Journal Article
| Format |
Author, A. A. (Nation/Country/Language group), & Author, B. B. (Nation/Country/Language group). (Date). Title of article: Subtitle. Title of Journal, volume number(issue number), Article number, page numbers of the whole article. https://doi.org/xx.xxx/xxxx |
| Example |
Marika, R. (Yolngu), Yunupingu, Y. (Yolngu, Rirratjingu & Yirrkala), Marika-Mununggiritj, R. (Yolngu), & Muller, S. (2009). Leaching the poison–the importance of process and partnership in working with Yolngu. Journal of Rural Studies, 25(4), 404-413. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2009.05.007 |
Single Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Author Examples
Geia, L. (Bwgcolman). (2012). First steps, making footprints: Intergenerational Palm Island families Indigenous stories (narratives) of childrearing practice strengths [PhD thesis]. James Cook University.
Janke, T. (Meriam & Wuthathi). (2021). True tracks: Respecting Indigenous knowledge and culture. NewSouth Publishing.
Watego, C. (Mununjali Yugambeh & South Sea Islander). (2021). Another day in the colony. University of Queensland Press.
Two or More Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Authors or Editors
McAvoy, T. (Wirdi). (2016). Building our house. In M. Davis (Cobble Cobble) & M.J. Langton (Yiman & Bidjara). (Eds.), It’s our country: Indigenous arguments for meaningful constitutional recognition and reform (pp. 42-47). Melbourne University Press.
Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Authors Publishing with Non-Indigenous Authors
Biles, B. (Murrawarri) & Biles, J. (2019). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in healthcare. Oxford University Press.
Redman-MacLaren, M., Turner, N. N. (Anmatyerre & Jaru)., Taylor, J., Laycock, A., Vine, K., Thompson, Q. (Gurindji), Larkins, S., Carlisle, K., Thompson, S., Bailie, R., & Matthew, V. (Quandamooka). (2021, July 16). Respect is central: A critical review of implanting frameworks for continuous quality improvement in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary health care services. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, Article 630611, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.630611
Personal communication is used for any information that is given to you 'in person'. To recognise oral communication from an Elder or Knowledge Keeper within text, the APA format to follow is personal communication.
When referring to a senior member of an Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community, it may be appropriate to use the terms Uncle or Aunty to show respect and to indicate Elder status. Always check with the person to see how he or she would like to be referred to. He or she may only want their title used within their community.
Personal communication is not recorded in your reference list. You only refer to it in text.
Personal Communications for Individuals
| Formats |
We spoke with Uncle/Aunty Preferred Names (Nation/Country/Language Group) and Uncle/Aunty Preferred Names (Nation/Country/Language Group) (personal communication*, Month DD, YYYY) who shared that... ...was considered deeply significant (Preferred Names, Nation/Country/Language Group, personal communication*, Month DD, YYYY). |
Personal Communications for Groups or Organisations
| Formats |
We spoke with Organisation Name (Nation/Country/Language Group) (personal communication*, Month DD, YYYY) who shared that... ...was considered deeply significant (Organisation Name, Nation/Country/Language Group, personal communication*, Month DD, YYYY). |
*If the communication was recieved via a yarning circle or sharing session (a common method used by Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for communicating) use yarning circle instead of personal communication.
If you are an Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person sharing your own experiences (this includes the Nation, Country, Language Group or Community where you live and belong), you don’t need to include an in-text citation or reference list entry.
Express yourself in detail in the body of your text to conceptualise the information you are sharing.
What if an Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander author has more than two language groups, country or nation?
Where an Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander author identifies with more than two nation, country or language groups, follow same format as above and include a comma between each followed by an ampersand (&) between the second last and last.
| Format |
Author, A. A. (Nation/Country/Language group, Nation/Country/Language group & Nation/Country/Language group). |
| Example |
Ropeyarn, Y. (Angkamuthi, Yadhaykana, Woppaurra & Meriam). (2022). Referencing Indigenous peoples knowledge APA style. James Cook University Library. hhttps://www.jcu.edu.au/library/xxxx |
This webpage was inspired and guided by the work of UTS Library, UQ Library, SCU Library and UBC Library.
We acknowledge the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants of the nation and acknowledge Traditional Owners of the lands where our staff and students, live, learn and work.
Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International License. Content from this Guide should be attributed to James Cook University Library. This does not apply to images, third party material (seek permission from the original owner) or any logos or insignia belonging to JCU or other bodies, which remain All Rights Reserved.
